The Cockettes
They were an avant-garde psychedelic theatre troupe from San Francisco hoping to take New York and Broadway by storm, and of course they also stayed at the Chelsea. Everyone who was anyone in town came to the premiere of their first big show, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Liza Minnelli, Allen Ginsberg, Anthony Perkins, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal. Andy Warhol was there, of course. So were Holly Woodlawn and Candy Darling. Angela Lansbury left early, followed by Andy Warhol and most of the remaining audience. Gore Vidal commented after the show: ‘Having no talent is no longer enough.’
George Kleinsinger (1914–1982)
He made his name with his children’s song Tubby the Tuba and with his compositions for Broadway and cinema, and he was a close friend of the Irish writer Brendan Behan, who also lived at the Chelsea, as documented by Janet Behan’s play Brendan at the Chelsea. Kleinsinger was at the Chelsea for twenty-five years. He was known for his apartment full of tropical birds, snakes, lizards, spiders and a small baby hippo. He died at the Chelsea. His ashes were scattered on the hotel roof.
In this wonderful second-hand shop in the basement of the Chelsea Hotel, anyone could browse through piles of books and records.
Richard Frederick Bernstein (1939–2002)
In the 1970s, he designed numerous covers for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine.
Mike
I seem to recall that his name was Mike. He would often stand outside the Chelsea, came from the drug scene and had beaten his addiction. I admired him greatly for that. I had taken pictures in several rehab units for heroin addicts and knew how high the relapse rate was. Mike had a very strong will and was determined to help others, having been helped himself. Here he is collecting money for a rehab.
Imprint
Editors
Albert Scopin Schöpflin
Galerie Oliver Ahlers
Texts
Michael Stoeber
Albert Scopin Schöpflin
Arno Dietsche
Translation
Dr. Kate Vanovitch
Translation Biography
Christian Schöpflin
Copyediting
Sarah Quigley
Design
Arno Dietsche
Lithography
Norbert Dietsche
Production
Jens Bartneck / Kerber Verlag
Project management
Lily von Wild / Kerber Verlag
Printing
Druckverlag Kettler GmbH
Paper
Arctic Volume White
Typeface
Caslon, Neue Haas
Colophon
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© 2025: Kerber Verlag, Berlin, Albert Scopin Schöpflin, Galerie Ahlers, Göttingen
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ISBN 978-3-7356-1047-8
This book is also available in a German edition: ISBN 978-3-7356-1046-1
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Printed in Germany
The Ahlers Gallery, Göttingen, holds the copyright for the illustrations on pp.: 2, 16/17, 18/19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 31, 33, 38/39, 41, 42/43, 44, 45, 48/49, 50, 53, 56, 57, 58, 59, 66, 74/75, 90, 93, 94, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 111, 112, 122, 126, 130, 131, 134, 135, 146, 147, 148/149, 151, 152, 164, 172/173
Albert Schöpflin holds the copyright for the illustrations on pp.: 28/29, 30, 32, 34/35, 36, 37, 40, 46, 54, 55, 60, 62/63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 71, 73, 77, 78/79, 80, 81, 82/83, 84/85, 87, 89, 91, 95, 106, 109, 110, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 120, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 136, 137, 138, 139, 141, 143, 144, 145, 153, 154/155, 156/157, 158/159, 160, 161, 162/163, 165, 166/167, 168, 169, 170, 171
With kind support of Dr. Sabine Gfrörer